December 16th, 2014
This article first appeared on What Matters with Janee Woods
As we all know by now, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was gunned down by the police while walking to his grandmother’s house in the middle of the afternoon. For the past few days my Facebook news feed has been full of stories about the incidents unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri.
But then I realized something....
For the first couple of days, almost all of the status updates expressing anger and grief about yet another extrajudicial killing of an unarmed black boy, the news articles about the militarized police altercations with community members and the horrifying pictures of his dead body on the city concrete were posted by people of color. Outpourings of rage and demands for justice were voiced by black people, Latinos, Asian Americans, Arab American Muslims. But posts by white people were few at first and those that I saw were posted mostly by my white activist or academic friends who are committed to putting themselves on the front lines of any conversation about racial or economic injustice in America. And almost nothing, silence practically, from the majority of my non activist, nonacademic white friends—those same people who gleefully jumped on the bandwagon to dump buckets of ice over their heads to raise money for ALS and who wrote heartfelt messages about reaching out to loved ones suffering from depression following the suicide of Robin Williams, may he rest in peace. But an unarmed black teenager walking down the street in broad daylight gets harassed and murdered by a white police officer and those same people seem to have nothing urgent to say about pervasive, systemic, deadly racism in America?
Black people are dying and it’s not your personal fault that black people are dying because you’re white but if you don’t make a purposeful choice to become a white ally and actively work to dismantle the racist system running America for the benefit of white people then it becomes your shame because you are white and black lives matter. And if you live your whole life and then die without making a purposeful choice to become a white ally then American racism becomes your legacy.
12 Things White People Can Do
Now Because of Ferguson
This article first appeared on What Matters with Janee Woods
As we all know by now, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was gunned down by the police while walking to his grandmother’s house in the middle of the afternoon. For the past few days my Facebook news feed has been full of stories about the incidents unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri.
But then I realized something....
For the first couple of days, almost all of the status updates expressing anger and grief about yet another extrajudicial killing of an unarmed black boy, the news articles about the militarized police altercations with community members and the horrifying pictures of his dead body on the city concrete were posted by people of color. Outpourings of rage and demands for justice were voiced by black people, Latinos, Asian Americans, Arab American Muslims. But posts by white people were few at first and those that I saw were posted mostly by my white activist or academic friends who are committed to putting themselves on the front lines of any conversation about racial or economic injustice in America. And almost nothing, silence practically, from the majority of my non activist, nonacademic white friends—those same people who gleefully jumped on the bandwagon to dump buckets of ice over their heads to raise money for ALS and who wrote heartfelt messages about reaching out to loved ones suffering from depression following the suicide of Robin Williams, may he rest in peace. But an unarmed black teenager walking down the street in broad daylight gets harassed and murdered by a white police officer and those same people seem to have nothing urgent to say about pervasive, systemic, deadly racism in America?
White people who are sick and tired of racism should work hard to become white allies. In the aftermath of the murder of Michael Brown, may he rest in power, here are some ways for white people to become white allies who are engaged thoughtfully and critically in examining the situation in Ferguson and standing on the side of justice and equity. This list is a good place to start your fight to dismantle racial inequity and shine a light on the oppressive structures that lead to yet another extrajudicial killing of a black person.
1. Learn about the
racialized history of Ferguson and how it reflects the racialized history of
America. Michael Brown’s murder is not a social
anomaly or statistical outlier. It is the direct product of deadly tensions
born from decades of housing discrimination, white flight, intergenerational
poverty and racial profiling. The militarized police response to peaceful
assembly by the people mirrors what happened in the 1960s during the Civil
Rights Movement.
2. Reject the “He
Was a Good Kid” narrative and lift up the “Black Lives Matter” narrative.
Michael Brown was a good kid,
by accounts of those who knew him
during his short life. But that’s not why his death is tragic. His death isn’t
tragic because he was a sweet kid on his way to college next week. His death is
tragic because he was a human being and his life mattered. The Good Kid
narrative might provoke some sympathy but what it really does is support the
lie that as a rule black people, black men in particular, have a norm of
violence or criminal behavior. The Good Kid narrative says that this kid didn’t
deserve to die because his goodness was the exception to the rule. This is
wrong. This kid didn’t deserve to die because he was a human being and black
lives matter.
3. Use words that speak the truth
about the disempowerment, oppression, disinvestment and racism that are rampant
in our communities. Be mindful, political and socially
aware with your language. Notice how the mainstream news outlets are using
words like riot and looting to describe the uprising in Ferguson. What’s happening is not a riot. The people
are protesting and engaging in a justified rebellion. They have a righteous
anger and are revolting against the police who have terrorized them for years.
4. Understand the
modern forms of race oppression and slavery and how they are intertwined with
policing, the courts and the prison industrial complex. We don’t enslave black people on the
plantation cotton fields anymore. Now we lock them up in for profit prisons at
disproportionate rates and for longer sentences for the same crimes than white
people. And when they are released, they are second class citizens stripped of
voting rights and denied access to housing, employment and education. Mass incarceration is The New Jim Crow .
5. Examine the
interplay between poverty and racial equity.
The twin pillar of racism is economic injustice but do not use class issues to
trump race issues and avoid the racism conversation. While racism and class
oppression are tangled together in this country, the fact remains that the
number one predictor of prosperity and access to opportunity is race.
6. Diversify your
media. Be intentional
about looking for and paying close attention to diverse voices of color on the
TV, on the internet and on the radio to help shape your awareness,
understanding and thinking about political, economic and social issues. Check
out Colorlines, The Root or This Week in Blackness to get started.
7. Adhere to the
philosophy of nonviolence as you resist racism and oppression.
Dr. Martin Luther King advocated
for nonviolent conflict reconciliation as the primary strategy of the Civil
Rights Movement and the charge of His Final Marching Orders . East Point Peace Academy offers online
resources and in person training on nonviolence that is accessible to all
people regardless of ability to pay.
8. Find support from fellow white
allies. Challenge and encourage each other to dig deeper,
even when it hurts and especially when you feel confused and angry and sad and
hopeless, so that you can be more authentic in your shared journey with people
of color to uphold and protect principles of anti-racism and equity in our
society. Go to workshops like Training
for Change’s Whites Confronting Racism or European Dissent by The People’s
Institute. Attend The White Privilege
Conference or the Facing Race conference.
Some organizations offer scholarships or reduced fees to help people attend if
funding is an issue.
9. If you are a
person of faith, look to your scriptures or holy texts for guidance. Seek out
faith based organizations like Sojourners and follow faith leaders that incorporate
social justice into their ministry. Ask your clergy person to address anti-racism
in their sermons and teachings. If you are not a person of faith, learn how the
world’s religions view social justice issues so that when you have opportunity
to invite people of faith to also become white allies, you can talk with them
meaningfully about why being a white ally is supported by their spiritual
beliefs.
10. Don’t be afraid
to be unpopular.
Let’s be realistic. If you start
calling out all the racism you witness (and it will be a lot once you know what
you’re looking at) some people might not want to hang out with you as much.
That’s a risk you’ll need to accept. But think about it like this: staying
silent when you witness oppression is the same as supporting oppression. So you
can be the popular person who stands with the oppressor or you can be the
(maybe) unpopular person who stands for equality and dignity for all people.
Which person would you prefer to be? And honestly, if some people don’t want to
hang out with you anymore once you show yourself as a white ally then why would
you even want to be friends with them anyway? They’re probably racists.
11. Be proactive in your own community. As a white ally, you are not limited
to being reactionary and only rising up to stand on the side of justice when
black people are being subjected to violence very visibly and publicly. Moments
of crisis do not need to be the catalyst because taking action against systemic
racism is always appropriate because systemic racism permeates nearly every
institution and community in this country. Some ideas for action: organize a
community conversation about the state of police-community relations in your
neighborhood, support leaders of color by donating your time or money to their
campaigns or causes, ask the local library to host a showing and discussion
group about the documentary RACE: The Power of an Illusion, attend workshops to
learn how to transform conflict into opportunity for dialogue. Gather together
diverse white allies that represent the diversity of backgrounds in your
community. Antiracism is not a liberals only cause. Antiracism is a movement
for all people, whether they be conservative, progressive, rich, poor, urban or
rural.
12. Don’t give up. We’re
400 years into this racist system and it’s going to take a long, long, long
time to dismantle these atrocities. The antiracism movement is a struggle for
generations, not simply the hot button issue of the moment. Transformation of a
broken system doesn’t happen quickly or easily. You may not see or feel the
positive impact of your white allyship in the next month, the next year, the
next decade or even your lifetime. But don’t ever stop. Being a white ally
matters because your thoughts, deeds
This is a list of just 12 ways to be an ally. There are many more ways and I invite you to consider what else you can do to become a strong and loyal white ally. People of color, black people especially, cannot and should not shoulder the burden for dismantling the racist, white supremacist system that devalues and criminalizes black life without the all in support, blood, sweat and tears of white people. If you are not already a white ally, now is the time to become one.
People are literally dying.
Black people are dying and it’s not your personal fault that black people are dying because you’re white but if you don’t make a purposeful choice to become a white ally and actively work to dismantle the racist system running America for the benefit of white people then it becomes your shame because you are white and black lives matter. And if you live your whole life and then die without making a purposeful choice to become a white ally then American racism becomes your legacy.
The choice is yours.
Source URL: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/12-t.
